The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-27
AN INTERESTING STORY.
How Summers Servant Saved Sew
ards Life.

How Summers Servant Saved sew
ards Life.
arnold Burgess johnson in the September Cos
mopotiton.
Among Mr.. Summers servants the one
whom he most highly valued was an elder
ly Irish woman, Margaret Coleman. She
was his housekeeper for the last two
years of his life, and now becomes a historic
character
Prior to entering Mr.. Summers service,
Margaret was of the household of William
H. Seward. When, on April IA, 1865, the
night of the assassination of President Lin
coin, an attempt was made on the life of
Mr. Seward, she was one of those in charge
Of his room, he then being confined to his
bed from the effects of a fall from his car
riage Payne, the would-be assassin, was
met by Mr.. Frederick Seward at the head OF
the stairs. After wounding him severely
and leaving him seemingly dead, Payne
passed over his body to reach the room of
his father The noise had notified Mar
garet, who was in her own room on the
story above, of Payne's approach, and his
object As PAYNE entered the sick room
Robinson, the male nurse, then confronted
him. Payne struc!; Robinson to the ground
with his knife, and then sprang at the Secre-
tary. Mr.. Seward was in a hall-stting pos
lure, leaning MS Duck dSdlllSb a. SIl4h Sndli
placed in the bed for his support Reallz-
ing Payne's object, he pulled the bed-clotn-
ing over his head for protection. Payne
struck him number of times. One blow
was so well aimed that it passed through the
bedclothes: through his cheek, into his neck
on the right side, and another on the left
side cut his neck.
Meantime all this was passing quicker
than it can be told. Margaret had sprung
l., l.LN id
gathered himself up sufficiently TO confront
the assassin. Maj A. II. Seward, Miss
Fannie Seward, and some of the servants #
the household were now entering the room,
and Payne fought his way out from among
them. Margaret was struck in the face ap-
pearently by Paynes clinched fist, sp that
her face was painful and discolored for
some time and she was hurled against the
door lamb with such force as to break her
collaI-bone Maj Seward was slightly cut
in several places, but none of the women
except Margaret was in any way injured.
Payne after cutting his way out, mounted
his horse and escaped. Meantime Mr.. Sew
ard had apparently disappeared, and for a
moment it was thought that the assassin hid
thrown him out of the open window. He
had, however, rolled himself in his bed
clothing, and fallen between the bed and
the wall but was so suspended by the cloth
ing that he had not reached the floor. Mar
garet pulled him up, unrolled him now
nearly smothered in the blankets and the
blood, and assisted in doing what was neces-
sary before she found out how much she
herself was injured. She recovered, how
ever, sufficiently to continue to act as
head nurse to Secretary Seward. to Mr..
Frederick Seward, and to Mrs. Seward,
who never recovered from the shock of that
night, and who died in Margaret's arms,
and, finally, as nurse to Miss Fannie Sc
ward She saw her pass away within the
year.
When Mr.. Fish succeeded Mr. Seward as
Secretary of State, he took certain of the
Seward servants, who agreed to stay with
him until Mrs. Fish brought her own estab-
lishment to Washington. So Margaret re-
manned with the new Secretary of State
for six months, and then went to Mr.. Sum
ner, with whom she remained until his
death. The arrangement was particularly
agreeable to the ladies whom Mr.. Sumner
received, as most of them had been ac-
customed to her friendly ministrations
when visiting at the Seward and Fish
houses.